When you reflect on where you have been and where you are going, there’s an exercise to help you see some of the great turning points in your life. Among other things, you list 5 people that have made a major impact on your life, and 5 events that somehow changed your perspective. When I went through this exercise, I realized that I was less adventurous and shyer that I perceived myself to be. One of the events that I identified as life changing was a last minute trip to Italy almost 12 years ago. And one of the people who continue to have a major impact on my life is my Mom.
It was the summer before my senior year in college and I felt like I was outgrowing who I was, but not sure quite where I was headed. It was a time where I was realizing that I needed to pull it all together in the next year when I left the confines of college life. My Mom had a trip planned for work to Florence, Italy and asked if I wanted to go. I didn’t really have an interest in travel, and though I was excited to go, had no idea what to expect.
My Mom is the adventurous one, always first to try something new and expand her horizons. I just assumed I would follow her lead. I did for the first few days when we landed in Rome and made our way to Florence by train. I took in all of the sunflower fields and was realizing what it meant to be in another country. Monday morning, Mom went to work. I started to panic. What was I going to do all by myself? I had no one to talk to and I had no idea where I was going.
I had my map, which was in Italian, and as I tried to figure out where I was, by putting myself in the map, turning it in circles as I walked and turned corners, I found that I was lost again. I continued walking, discreetly checking my map for the street I was on. I finally decided that I should just sit somewhere and figure it all out. That’s when I looked up and noticed that I was standing at the edge of Piazza Duomo, one of the most famous Cathedrals, and landmarks of Florence. The pink and green and white marble was breathtaking, I was drawn to it.
After putting away my map, I proceeded down the cobblestone street and came upon a huge line of people. I remembered a quote I heard once, “When traveling in a foreign land and you see a long line, get in it and ask what it’s for later.” It was only 9:30am, so I had all day to wait to see where this line went. Apparently, my next stop was the Ufizzi Gallery, which is where the famed statue of David resides. Though it seemed like a lonely site seeing trip for one, it was actually a very liberating experience for me, since it was out of character to go it alone.
Florence is not big, and I managed to make it through town that day, tasting gelato for the first time and buying stamps at the post office in Italian! I was exhilarated. When 5pm came around, I was bursting with excitement to tell my Mom about all the great places I found. I was there for a week and felt like I had mastered the city. I met American tourists in the pastry shops and in the laundry mat and escorted them to all of the attractions before we met Mom for dinner. I found myself talking to strangers and befriending student backpackers, where I would normally have kept to myself.
Not only did I come home with an appreciation of the Italian culture and humbled by the size of the world, I developed a new sense of who I was, and found the courage to break out of my comfort zone. When I think that I’m upon something that I can’t handle, I think of my trip to Italy and how empowering it felt to try something new. The perspective I gained on that trip makes me continually challenge myself to try harder, and do better in everything.
Mom and I have been on a lot of adventures since then and I admire her get up and go mentality. I’m glad that I was able to inherit some of it, butshe still has more stamps on her passport!
